NBS BIF #17 Hints and Hauls: Subaru Drivers Won't Keep Us From Our Magic Water Breakfast

Interesting to note the similarity in the curves. In terms of raw numbers, I've overall reviewed more beers in the last 5 years than I did in the first 5. Those reviews do tend to be skewed a touch higher - I've reviewed more beers overall, but the crossover point is around 3.6.

So how does one explain the data? Well, in my case - like many of us, I suspect - I started my beer journey with "worse" beers. Most of us have all reviewed the basic AALs already (or are unlikely to do so), so those are low ratings that are much more likely to occur early in one's BA "career." Involvement in things like BIFs improves access to better beer (just look at the amount of Tree House that flies around). And then finally, access to great beer has significantly improved just about everywhere in the last five years.

I'm curious if anyone's curves go in the opposite direction: lower scores, or more frequent low scores, over time. Even if one's individual grading goes down (I suspect mine actually has), those other factors might well outweigh that impact.

Looking at my own as an example, my top 50 scores are an almost perfect split, using the 5 year mark as a line of demarcation, with the more recent 5 years getting a very slight edge. (You wouldn't guess that from the graph above - although if you know that it takes at least a 4.63 to crack my top 50, I guess you would guess that from the graph above!)

But what makes up those top 50 reviews?

Old me: plenty of classics, like PtE, Firestone Anniversary (already discussed here ), and Hill Farmstead ... but some other brews I might not rate quite so high now, if reviewing for the very first time, including the Holy Trinity of Trappists (Chimay Blue, Westmalle Tripel, and Rochefort 10 - and Pannepot is up there, as well), and two iterations of Enjoy By. Worse, Jai Alai has the same top 50 score of 4.63, and there's absolutely no way I would rate it that high now (it's tied with Triple Sunshine, so ... yeah).

What about new me? Well, just look at the breweries being represented in that top 50 (thanks, BIF!): Tree House, Angry Chair, Cigar City El Catador, Kane, Barreled Souls, Transient, Anchorage ... I mean, wow. That's freaking killer. It's no wonder the more recent 5 years has a slight edge in scoring, even if I don't score as high now as I did then (a good snapshot of this is to qualitatively assess the amount of "green" versus "red" in your rDevs; I used to have a lot more green). I've had access to world class beer, and had plenty more sent my way via generous BAs.

I love these data calls. It's even more fun for me to dig into them and figure out what, if anything, it all means.

 

That's absolutely bonkers!

 

I think most of us, especially those of us who have been reviewing for several years, will have something similar.

Of course, with more local beer, there's also an influx of more bad local beer ... but I'd say that's overwhelmed by the greater access.

I could try a brand new brewery I've never visited that's 30 minutes away ... or I could go to Fox Farm. Of course I still visit new breweries, but there's no point to try their entire lineup if you're unimpressed.

Then there's the shelves. I get a lot of Lawson's now. 12% Beer Project in New Haven is improving the distro on a ton of breweries that used to be PA or NY based (or entirely gypsy). Overall distro has gotten dramatically better (some of that, albeit, due to corporate buyouts by bigger companies).

I have zero desire to try the next "innovation" from the Bud Light series. (I mean, I'd tick it if it's in front of me ... ) Not when I can try the next Tree House IPA.